An introduction to climate justice and the Climate Just website

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SOCIAL. JUSTICE. Inequities in responsibility for emissions - who is responsible for action? Inequities in social impact
Climate justice and climate disadvantage – and the Climate Just website Katharine Knox Joseph Rowntree Foundation Email: [email protected] Twitter: @jrf_uk @katharineknox

Aims for the session 1. What climate justice is and why it matters 2. What JRF research tells us about climate disadvantage 3. Introduce Climate Just

What is climate justice about? • Ensuring that collectively and individually we have the ability to prepare for, respond to and recover from climate change impacts – and the policies to mitigate or adapt to them – by considering existing vulnerabilities, resources and capabilities. Banks. N et al (2014) Climate change and social justice: An evidence review. JRF, York. www.jrf.org.uk/publications/climatechange-and-social-justice-evidence-review

• By ‘just’ we mean: some chance of a safe climate for future generations; an equal distribution of the remaining global carbon budget between countries; and a transition in the UK in which the costs are distributed progressively, and where everyone’s essential needs for housing, transport and energy use are met. Childs, M. (2011) Just transition: is a just transition to a low-carbon economy possible within safe global carbon limits? London: Friends of the Earth

Why does it matter? • Climate change ‘biggest threat to public health this century’ • Risks are unevenly distributed and are generally greater for disadvantaged people and communities in countries at all levels of development: IPCC • Moral questions over who we protect and how, rights, roles and responsibilities • Pressure on public services reducing capacity • Importance of decisions now for future • A just transition – who pays/benefits?

Aspects of climate (in)justice Inequities in responsibility for emissions - who is responsible for action? Inequities in how costs and benefits of policy and practice responses are shared- how will transition be addressed?

Intergenerational justice – what are the future implications of choices now?

CLIMATE CHANGE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

Inequities in social impacts of climate change and extreme weather- who will we protect?

Procedural justice – who has voice in governance and decisions, what consensus is there to act?

What JRF research tells us 1. Responsibility for emissions varies by income 2. There are inequities in social consequences of energy policy 3. There are unequal impacts on people’s welfare from extreme weather 4. Adaptation policy needs to do more to address social vulnerability 5. Community resilience requires capacities at all levels

1. Who contributes to carbon emissions? Top 10% by income (total direct emissions*) 16.1 tCO2 per year

Lowest 10% by income (total direct emissions)

5.0 tCO2 per year

*ie housing/personal transport http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/carbon-emissions

2. Policy costs and benefits on domestic energy bills are not equally shared

3. What creates climate disadvantage? Climate disadvantage= • •

Exposure: likelihood and degree to which communities are exposed to outcomes of extreme weather e.g. drought, flood, heatwave hazards + Vulnerability: likelihood and degree to which this results in a loss in wellbeing Ability to prepare

Ability to respond

Adaptive capacity

Sensitivity

Exposure (Enhanced)

Ability to recover Exposure

Vulnerability Climate disadvantage

Hazard

Factors affecting social vulnerability Social factors: Adaptive capacity (prepare/respond/recover)

Personal factors: Sensitivity

Environmental factors: Enhanced exposure

Low income

Age (very young & elderly)

Neighbourhood characteristics (green/blue space)

Tenure: ability to modify living environment

Health status: illness

Housing characteristics: (e.g basement/ high rise/ single storey buildings)

Mobility and access to services

Special care

Buildings

Social isolation

Homeless, tourists, transient groups

High housing density

Information and local knowledge Access to insurance

Flood disadvantage in England • Some areas have both high socio spatial vulnerability and high potential for exposure to river/coastal flooding and so are flood disadvantaged • Most flood disadvantaged region = Yorkshire & Humber (ie high social vulnerability coincides with high likelihood of flooding)

Socio-spatial flood vulnerability in England Coastal

Built-up areas, basement dwellings

Overall, most extremely socially vulnerable locations are urban and there is a strong coastal component.

e.g. possible insurance access issues

4. Adaptation policy responses • Limited evidence of socially just adaptation responses • Sector focus ignores compounding social impacts • Evidence on exposure and social context not joined up • Mismatch between levels of investment and levels of flood disadvantage • Need to consider overall systems, vulnerable people, long term effects

5. Community resilience • Community resilience requires a range of capacities – community, social, economic, infrastructural, institutional • Links between formal and informal institutions important • Reactive to proactive resilience – bounce back v forward • Creating a future vision